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[28 Pharast 4708]
Having ventured as far north as the Fen of the Icemists, the adventurers change their minds about camping. They instead decide to make one final trip to Magnimar for provisions and magical armaments before proceeding to Xin-Shalast. When they magically jump to the city, however, they find a strange tenseness in the citizenry. Many shops have a “No Gold” sign, whilst here and there on the streets is a lifelike gold statue. The adventurers see members of the city watch and priests of the church of Abadar examining the statues, and quickly discern that a terrible fright has gripped the city. A small percentage of gold coins have been infected with a magical curse that turns anyone who touches them into a statue! Learning that those coins are revealed to be stamped with Sihedrons, the adventurers can only surmise that Karzoug’s plans are accelerating: by making currency dangerous, the Runelord of Greed has weakened one of Varisia’s most important cities by bringing trade to a veritable halt!
Fortunately, for present purposes, the adventures have enough platinum coins and gems to make the purchases they’re most concerned about. That night, after Morgiana’s dazzling displays of prowess scares away another attempting mugging by the Bloody Knuckles gang, the adventurers sit down at the Blasted Ferret and begin drinking heavily. Conversation turns to what each member of the group will do once they’ve defeated Karzoug. Kang announces his intention to settle down and set up a school for advanced alchemical studies, and Ava suggests she could attend so she could learn how to read! Erik speculates about joining the Pathfinder Society and taking on evil tyrants, while Morgiana ruminates about visiting the City at the Center of the World (Absalom) someday and living in a place where hobgoblins like herself aren’t frowned upon. For his part, Jinkatsyu says he still hasn’t forgiven or forgotten the hag who murdered his parents.
As the night wears on and the wine cups are emptied and refilled, the talk turns more maudlin. What if they don’t survive the attack on Karzoug? Ava says she’d like to be buried in Sandpoint, because that’s where she met all of her friends. Morgiana asks to be cremated and buried on her family’s farm. Instead of talking about the future, Kang reveals a secret he’s never shared before: born in the Darklands, he learned alchemy from his father before the man was executed by the so-called “dark elves” during a time of turmoil and war. Kang admits to having dabbled in poisons and pesh, and, while enslaved by the “drow”, having conducted nefarious flesh-warping experiments on living creatures for them.
When the bartender announces last call, the Heroes of Varisia toast to hope. In the morning they may be embarrassed by the intimacies they’ve shared, but they’ll have a stronger bond than ever before.
[29 Pharast 4708]
Kang distributes his disgusting but effective hangover cure. The adventurers spend the day on errands. Occasional plumes of smoke can be seen from distant parts of the city, and reports of isolated looting start to spread.
[30 Pharast 4708]
Having started fasting the night before (so as to meet the cryptic conditions in the Vekkers’ journal about finding the hidden path to Xin-Shalast), everyone wakes up hungry. Rumours of a (failed) attempt on the Lord-Mayor’s life spread like wildfire, and soon after, soldiers from the Arvensoar place the city under martial law. Gossip holds that Korvosa and Riddleport are suffering from problems of their own, leaving people to wonder what’s happening to Varisia. The adventurers debate whether it’s safer to stay in Magnimar or spend time in the wilderness, and the latter view wins out. After teleporting everyone back to the Kodars, Ava helps them withstand a blizzard by creating another stone bunker.
[31 Pharast 4708]
Another morning sees the adventurers suffering from extreme hunger pains.
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Director's Commentary
The cursed gold coins spreading throughout Magnimar were something I came up with to make the "shopping trip" more interesting. I wanted to show that Karzoug's agents were accelerating their plans, and the theme seemed to fit the Runelord of Greed perfectly.
Some great role-playing in the tavern scenes. I try to occasionally prompt topics that the players wouldn't perhaps naturally have their PCs discuss by saying something like "As you finish your meal, talk turns to what you'll do after Karzoug's defeat", etc. It's not something that always works, but with some good role-players at the table, it can really add to character depth.
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